All arts have their masters, but the name Hattori Hanzo has already become a household name not only in connection with the ninja clans, but also with the film industry. In particular, many film fans recognized this name from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill trilogy, where Hattori Hanzo's sword was the dream of a professional killer. Who is this amazing master? Why did he become famous? Let's try to figure it out.
When the samurai showdown goes on
The big name is used in different areas: it is a character in films about samurai, an underground swordsman from Kill Bill. Hattori Hanzo's sword is beautiful both externally and internally. This is a deadly weapon, which is preferred to any firearm. In Japanese culture, Hattori is a beloved hero. By the way, it was he who became the prototype for the hero "Mortal Kombat" Hanzo Hasashi, whose name is "Scorpion". His fighter is terribly dangerous and unpredictable. That's right, Hanzō is one of the greatest ninja clan zenins.
Who is a zenin? This isthe top link in the clan system. He gained his fame because of the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who gathered Japan into a single state. Hattori Hanzo had a namesake - Yari-No Hanzo or Hanzo-Spear, also a samurai, but less famous. There was a series such as "Shadow Wars" or "Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo", where after the death of the shogun, a full-fledged struggle for power begins with intrigues, intrigues and mutual insults. Hanzo in the series is the head of the clan, living two lives: the owner of the baths and the fearless warrior, cold-bloodedly chopping all enemies into cabbage. Hanzo's thoughts on Robin Hood are not observed in the series, and his motivation is to maintain family status. To achieve his goal, Hanzo himself weaves intrigues and substitutes enemies from another clan. There are eight episodes in the series. These are high-quality and vivid stories with the possibility of continuation.
Power of the Master
Many of the Scorpion's moves in Mortal Kombat were taken from a real ninja master. He seemed somewhat mythical creature, mysterious and secretive. His movements are so fast that he disappears from the air, as if floating above the water, flying and growing out of the ground. To reinforce his reputation, Hattori Hanzō himself told stories about himself, intimidating weak-minded enemies. But historically, the personality of the master is more attributed to the era of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Of the battle victories of Hanzo, they recall the unification of groups of ninja from the warring provinces, as well as the rescue of their leader. And for the last Hanzo was awarded a corporate apartment near Tokyo. Remainderhe spent his life guarding the back gate of the capital, which was called the gate of Hanzo or Hansomon. The master died a natural death at the age of 55, being the head of security. A very sad end for a mystical legend and a war of the night that keeps entire villages in fear.
Legacy
The death of Hattori Hanzō benefited both his people and his leader. The first could relax and not be afraid of fights, and the second got rid of the most dangerous ninja clan. Hanzo's son - Masanari - did not want to learn ninja and, accordingly, could not lead his father's troops. Therefore, only the subway line named after him and the figurines in the Sainen-ji temple were left to the descendants of Hanzo. True, we must not forget about memory, which is transmitted and reinforced by legends and films about the "Devil Hanzo", who was not only skilled in battle, but also made swords - "katana". The first mention of such swords comes from 710 AD, when the swordsman Amakuni used in battle a sword with a curved blade forged from dissimilar iron plates. The sword was good, as it looked like a typical saber. He traveled unchanged for 7 centuries.
Aristocratic weapons
Almost immediately, katanas became a favorite attribute of the Japanese nobility. The turning point was the Meiji revolution, when officials switched to European swords. Modern katanas vary in blade length, and each sword has its own name. More than 84 cm in the blade of the two-handed sword "nodachi". There is a sword "tati" with magnificent decorations and a thin blade. Average length at 61 cm"tinsa katana". And "wakizashi" is considered a pair of two-handed swords and has a modest length of 51 cm. Often, "wakizashi" was replaced with a "tanto" combat knife with a blade of 28-40 cm, and ladies preferred "kaiken" with a straight blade of 8-16 cm. Katana - a universal weapon that surpasses Arab damask steel in strength, sharpness and flexibility. According to some experts, this is the best sword in the world.
Hattori Hanzo at the movies
In his acclaimed film, Quentin Tarantino made a little mistake in the timing and method of making the katana. There is a Japanese tradition according to which the gunsmith does not make fittings for the blade. For such a small job, he has a whole staff. It turns out that a katana is not a cast tool, but almost a constructor that combines the results of the work of many people. The samurai has several sets of sword fittings in stock and changes them depending on the circumstances. Samurai sword Hattori Hanzo needed the main character of the film Tarantino, played by Uma Thurman. The heroine's name was Beatrix Kido or Black Mamba, as her fellow killers called her. She has one goal - revenge. As a weapon of revenge, she chose the best sword in the world, which was supposed to be made by Hattori Hanzo. "Kill Bill" is a specific film, and to some extent philosophical. The heroine was seriously offended, if an attempted brutal murder with a criminal abortion can be attributed to insults. Waking up from a coma, she only wants to take revenge and get to the main goal - Bill, the man who was her lover, the father of her child and who becameher killer. At first, Hanzo refused to work in the film, but after learning the circumstances, he took on the order.
Finished result
For the blade, a special iron ore with impurities of molybdenum and tungsten is used. All weak points are eaten away by rust, and only after that the rods were sent to the gunsmith, who flattened them with a hammer so that the blade contained more than 50 thousand layers of metal. The katana is a self-sharpening sword, and you only need to swipe it against a wall to get a sharp, razor-like blade. The work goes through several stages of grinding, the graininess is reduced and polished with charcoal. The finish line is hardening in liquid clay, after which a matte stripe appears on the blade - yakiba. Many masters (including Hattori Hanzo) put their painting on the edge of the blade. When forging ends, the sword is polished for another half a month for a mirror shine.
Soul Weapon
Let the heroine's sword be taken from her in the film, but she completed her goal with Hattori Hanzo's weapon. The photo with the sword went to promotional posters. The perfect brilliance of the weapon is blinding and somehow does not fit with the usual ideas about battles and blood. But this is the main attraction and beauty of the best sword in the world. This is an eternal weapon, perfect and clearly balanced. It always comes to the goal, and therefore it is difficult to imagine such swords hanging modestly on the wall as a decorative element. Hanzo's sword is a weapon of war.
